Entamanu Ngorongoro
When To Go

When To Go

The Ngorongoro Crater offers phenomenal game viewing throughout the year, but particular seasons offer their own special highlights.

Dry season
Green season
Closed

jan

feb

mar

apr

may

jun

jul

aug

sep

oct

nov

dec

January

Lush green scenery, excellent birding

Get two nights free on a safari with Nomad using our 7 for 5 night offer.

Wildlife is generally fantastic throughout the year in the Crater. The Big Five are all here to be seen if you are lucky. During the wetter months the water levels in Lake Magadi rise and attract impressive flocks of lesser flamingos.

This is usually a time of dry weather between the short rains of November and December, and the long rains of April and May. Warm sunny and clear days, with cooler temperatures at camp on the Crater rim, especially if it does rain.

February

Lush green scenery, excellent birding

Get two nights free on a safari with Nomad using our 7 for 5 night offer.

Wildlife is generally fantastic throughout the year in the Crater. The Big Five are all here to be seen if you are lucky. During the wetter months the water levels in Lake Magadi rise and attract impressive flocks of lesser flamingos.

This is usually a time of dry weather between the short rains of November and December, and the long rains of April and May. Warm sunny and clear days, with cooler temperatures at camp on the Crater rim, especially if it does rain.

March

Lush green scenery, excellent birding

Get two nights free on a safari with Nomad using our 7 for 5 night offer.

Wildlife is generally fantastic throughout the year in the Crater. The Big Five are all here to be seen if you are lucky. During the wetter months the water levels in Lake Magadi rise and attract impressive flocks of lesser flamingos.

The 'Long rains' start towards the end of March and it is when we receive the most rain. Most days will rain, but it very seldom lasts the whole day. Temperatures are around 21°C/70°F on the crater floor and as low as 6°C/43°F on the crater rim.

April

Fewer people in the Crater

Get 5 nights for 4 by combining Serengeti Safari Camp with Entamanu Ngorongoro.

Wildlife is generally fantastic throughout the year in the Crater. The Big Five are all here to be seen if you are lucky. During the wetter months the water levels in Lake Magadi rise and attract impressive flocks of lesser flamingos.

The 'Long rains' is when we receive the most rain. Most days will rain, but it very seldom lasts the whole day. Temperatures are around 21°C/70°F on the crater floor and as low as 6°C/43°F on the crater rim.

May

Fewer people in the Crater

Get 5 nights for 4 by combining Serengeti Safari Camp with Entamanu Ngorongoro.

Wildlife is generally fantastic throughout the year in the Crater. The Big Five are all here to be seen if you are lucky. During the wetter months the water levels in Lake Magadi rise and attract impressive flocks of lesser flamingos.

The 'Long rains' is when we receive the most rain. Most days will rain, but it very seldom lasts the whole day. Temperatures are around 21°C/70°F on the crater floor and as low as 6°C/43°F on the crater rim.

June

Wildlife begins to gather around waterholes

Get two nights free on a safari with Nomad using our 7 for 5 night offer.

Wildlife is generally fantastic throughout the year in the Crater. The Big Five are all here to be seen if you are lucky. As the season dries out so does the grass on the Crater floor making spotting the more elusive beasts like the serval easier.

The next couple of months are generally warm with afternoon temperatures around 19°C/66°F on the crater floor. Days are sunny, with cloudless skies until the short rains' towards the end of October. It gets cold at night so warm clothes are a must.

Wildlife is generally fantastic throughout the year in the Crater. The Big Five are all here to be seen if you are lucky. As the season dries out so does the grass on the Crater floor making spotting the more elusive beasts like the serval easier.

Generally warm with afternoon temperatures around 19°C/66°F on the crater floor. It gets cold and windy at night and it can freeze on the crater rim so warm clothes are a must.

Wildlife is generally fantastic throughout the year in the Crater. The Big Five are all here to be seen if you are lucky. As the season dries out so does the grass on the Crater floor making spotting the more elusive beasts like the serval easier.

Generally warm with afternoon temperatures around 19°C/66°F on the crater floor. It gets cold and windy at night and it can freeze on the crater rim so warm clothes are a must.

Wildlife is generally fantastic throughout the year in the Crater. The Big Five are all here to be seen if you are lucky. As the season dries out so does the grass on the Crater floor making spotting the more elusive beasts like the serval easier.

Generally warm with afternoon temperatures around 19°C/66°F on the crater floor. It gets cold and windy at night and it can freeze on the crater rim so warm clothes are a must.

Wildlife is generally fantastic throughout the year in the Crater. The Big Five are all here to be seen if you are lucky. As the season dries out so does the grass on the Crater floor making spotting the more elusive beasts like the serval easier.

Generally warm with afternoon temperatures around 19°C/66°F on the crater floor. Days are usually sunny, and the short rains' could start towards the end of the month. It can still get cold at night so warm clothes are a must.

November

Migratory birds start to arrive

Get two nights free on a safari with Nomad using our 7 for 5 night offer.

Wildlife is generally fantastic throughout the year in the Crater. The Big Five are all here to be seen if you are lucky.

The'Short rains' usually occur anytime throughout November and December. Showers generally happen in the afternoon and are relatively short lived. Temperatures are warm during the day and can drop considerably at night.

December

Excellent birding

Get two nights free on a safari with Nomad using our 7 for 5 night offer. (Except over Christmas and New Year)

Wildlife is generally fantastic throughout the year in the Crater. The Big Five are all here to be seen if you are lucky.

The'Short rains' usually occur anytime throughout November and December. Showers generally happen in the afternoon and are relatively short lived. Temperatures are warm during the day and can drop considerably at night.

Entamanu sits on an extraordinary site in the sharp air of the highlands and there’s nothing tame about this location – the high altitude sun has some real heat and the wind can be biting and sometimes noisy. We’ve taken up the challenge to create a camp that makes the most of the extraordinary view while providing warmth and shelter from the elements, while being entirely removable.

The Crater itself takes on a life of it's own when it comes to weather patterns. With an altitudinal range of 960m to 3,648m, its climatic zones range from semi-arid to montane forest, and there is often a remarkable difference between the conditions on either side of the Crater, and particularly between the rim (often cold and foggy in the mornings) and the crater floor which is much hotter and often clear. Temperatures on the rim can drop to around or below freezing so warm clothes are a must throughout the year, and it can get windy at Entamanu particularly in July and August.

As it's own little microhabitat the Crater includes a variety of small ecosystems, a saline lake, swamps, plains and forests - and all this supports a population of about 25,000 mammals and an impressive number of bird species. Most of the wildlife never leaves the Crater floor and it has a well earned reputation as one of the most epic wildlife experiences in Africa. It can get busy with vehicles on the Crater floor, but our location on the rim means we can beat most of the crowds onto the crater floor in the mornings, and retreat back to our remote corner of wilderness to explore on foot or venture further afield to the less famous but equally impressive sites such as Empakai and Ol Moti.